Given the economic imperialist policies Chinese Communist Party in South America and Africa, let alone the lack of democratic institutions when compared to Taiwan, the CCP’s interest in Taiwan has far less to do with ‘liberating’ it than taking control of its substantial economic base.
Republicans don’t either, something that such statements should reflect. I wish there were a better nominee to vote for, but given that Republicans have benefitted from protests on issues that would be handled even worse by them, statements critical of current policy shouldn’t be made without the context of what would instead be done if Trump wins the presidential election.
While it would be great if the US weren’t unilaterally supporting the actions of the Israeli government, unfortunately a major shift from that foreign policy position would likely only receive substantial support from the people already likely to vote Democrat, or anti-Trump at the very least. It would likely be spun by media outlets that are either generally conservative or simply biased in favor of the Israel government in such a way that would push moderates towards Trump. As Trump would only increase the country’s support of the Israeli military, it’s more important to avoid him being elected to avoid a worse situation in the long run.
The problem is that anything less than unwavering support for Israel would be spun by well-funded propagandists as left-wing at best and antisemitic at worst. Regardless of how unjustified those claims are, and how detrimental they are to the wellbeing of oppressed Palestinians, a switch in foreign policy tactics now just for Netanyahu to wait for Trump to be elected is not worth it, as any short term benefits for the Palestinians would be undone tenfold should Trump be elected. Beyond that, a similar or worse fate would await Ukraine should that occur, so it’s ultimately better to wait until the election is over to consider major policy changes.
Just because it’s the norm doesn’t mean it’s not excessive. In contrast, Apple’s implementation of a 30% cut is even worse, since with an iPhone you can’t just install an app from another source (and even when you can in the case of the EU, there are recurring costs for doing so). Since Steam accounts for the majority of PC video game sales, with AAA titles only not releasing on it when they have a clear financial motive not to, Valve’s use of a price parity clause effectively makes it the arbiter of what the industry standard markup on PC should be.
While its implementations thus far have been totalitarian, technically true communism (something even the leaders of the USSR admitted to having not achieved) wouldn’t be totalitarian, so in an academic sense, focusing on it when asking such a question doesn’t make much sense. The question itself is sensible, as people wishing to become American should respect the country’s democratic institutions, though in asking it perhaps there should also be a greater effort in improving the quality of those institutions to be closer to those of a true, rather than flawed, democracy.
Also, in my opinion at least, framing it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ moral judgement reflects an outdated view that morals should be regulated, and thus should be restated as simply being in agreement with the principles of the US constitution.
Just because there’s an outdated industry standard doesn’t mean it should be perpetuated, let alone supported, for eternity. Valve’s server hosting costs on a per-installation basis have fallen substantially since they first launched Steam, so there’s no reason why the 30% cut is still necessary; even 20% would leave them a sizable profit margin. I’m not a fan of the Epic Game Store for bribing companies to not release their games on Steam for a set amount of time, and choose not to use it as a result, but it’s time that the 30% industry standard be dropped. In purchasing a game I want to support continued development of that franchise, and $15 of a $50 purchase going to the storefront is not only excessive and inflationary, but harms developers as well.
Valve could still operate as it currently does, including having sufficient profits to account for R&D and long-term costs, at a lower cut of platform sales (as another commenter mentioned, Gabe Newell’s billion dollar yacht collection is demonstrative of the platform’s profitability, especially when one considers how much it costs to maintain ships). Products such as the Steam Deck make money for Valve too, as Steam Deck users (myself included) statistically buy more games on Steam as a result. I don’t support profiteering efforts by game publishers either, such as the Factorio price increase attributed to inflation, $70 game releases attributed to inflation when digital releases have reduced their costs, and micro transactions in general. In any case, however, given that cost increases are always the consumer’s responsibility, cost decreases should not simply be a means for companies to bolster their profit margins.
If he lets Israel strike Palestine, then Ukraine should be able to destroy the Russian infrastructure that’s enabling the Russian Army to be easily resupplied. In contrast to Netanyahu, Zelensky’s chief interest wouldn’t be to target population centers anyhow, as such a move would only fuel Putin’s popularity.
The terror group’s affiliate in Afghanistan is a major rival of the country’s Taliban government, and earlier claimed responsibility for an attack on Chinese citizens in Kabul in 2022....
President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Ukraine’s partners “are afraid of Russia losing the war” and would like Kyiv “to win in such a way that Russia does not lose,” Zelensky said in a meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent....
When billions of dollars worth of equipment is shipped to Ukraine, that’s billions of dollars going to the American military industrial complex. Some of them might prefer if Russia weren’t dramatically weakened, so as to still have something to point to when lobbying for additional military spending.
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The upcoming Turkish elections on May 14, especially if they yield an opposition victory, will be “a rare opportunity” for the US to broker a Turkish-Kurdish peace, argues a new report by the New Lines Institute, a Washington-based think tank....
The Turkish government’s the one with all the cards; if it were at all interested in the rights of its ethnic minorities, it would recognize the Armenian genocide and grant the Kurds their long sought independence.
I get that, but if even the most interesting historical landmark in the world were being operated by a terrorist group, that alone is reason enough to pick another travel destination, in my opinion. Human rights aside, situations such as this demonstrate the safety risks that come with visiting such destinations.
It’s a shame that there hasn’t been extensive political support within Afghanistan itself to oust the Taliban, as I’m sure it would have tremendous tourism potential, given its historical landmarks and central location in Eurasia, if only it were safe to visit.
Sanctioning Russia should take any and all forms until they stop their assault on Ukraine. They’ve made it clear that they’re not acting in good faith, so extending that to them is five steps short of appeasement.
Clearly not; I just meant that we should at the very least not be weakening the spirit of the sanctions even in the slightest by sending Russia diplomatic invitations to events.
China has announced some policies designed to shore up its ailing property sector after the latest data showed housing prices slumped nearly 10% since the start of the year....
Given the number of people in today’s world that rely on social media instead of well-sourced (or better-sourced, at least) publications for ‘reliable’ sources, it’s highly important to minimize the extent to which such platforms can be used to manipulate the outcomes of elections.
They could still hold onto the land and Ukrainian population they’ve taken so far. Anything less than Ukraine regaining Crimea and the rest of its territory will not only be a loss for them, but would tell the Russian government that the West would rather appease them than let allow a conflict to escalate further. Appeasement didn’t work on Hitler, and it won’t work on Putin either.
Although a boycott effectively rendered the 2021 referendum on independence meaningless, referendums on the issue in 2018 and 2020 in contrast had over 80% turnout, voting against independence by 56% and 53% majorities. As voter registration for those referendums excluded residents who had moved to the island after 1994, the issue of independence among long-term residents is, at the very least, a divisive issue.
In any case, suppressing the voices of those promoting independence, aside from being clearly undemocratic, will only worsen France’s optics among New Caledonians. If the French government wants to convince locals that staying part of France is the best outcome for them, it needs to invest in the island’s tourism and service industries to ensure its residents, particularly the disproportionately lower-income Kanaks, have an economy that will outlast the limited nickel deposits of New Caledonia.
Ukraine’s troops withdrew from several areas of the country’s north-east amid mounting pressure from a new Russian offensive, as the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, postponed all foreign trips underscoring the seriousness of the threat....
To be fair, that’s also about how much the EU plus the UK’s combined GDP is versus the US. In any case, governments around the world need to step up aid to Ukraine to prevent Russia from cementing its hold on Ukrainian territory.
Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Saturday evening to protest a controversial “foreign influence” bill backed by the government....
The fact that there’s any Georgians who would support pro-Russian legislation after seeing what Russia’s doing to Ukraine is ludicrous, especially since Georgia’s next on the chopping block if Ukraine were to lose.
Israel has launched a major military offensive against Hamas forces in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, seizing control of a key border crossing and cutting off most aid into the territory a day before indirect talks on a ceasefire deal are due to restart....
While many great puzzle games have a fixed number of levels, I’d like to find more with procedurally-generated levels to maximize replay value. Aside from Minesweeper games, so far I’ve found the following ones:...
While many great puzzle games have a fixed number of levels, I’d like to find more with procedurally-generated levels to maximize replay value. Aside from Minesweeper games, so far I’ve found the following ones:...
While Minesweeper’s a great example, since random levels are a feature of nearly every Minesweeper iteration in existence, I mentioned in my post that I was excluding such games from the list. For those looking for such a game though, Globesweeper and Tilesweeper are great options.
China's Xi accused the US of trying to trick him into invading Taiwan, but said he won't take the bait, report says (www.businessinsider.com)
Xi Jinping accused the US of trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, the Financial Times said....
Biden's Middle East Policy Is Horrific. Trump's Would Be Even Worse (www.commondreams.org)
EU to charge Apple under Digital Markets Act, impose a fine of up to $50 million per day - GSMArena.com news (m.gsmarena.com)
Biden is on track to beat inflation and lose the presidency (www.vox.com)
Steam owner Valve accused of ripping off 14m UK gamers (www.bbc.com)
Valve Corporation is being accused of using its market dominance to overcharge 14 million people in the UK....
This is a question from the N-400, U.S. Application for Naturalization. Good question? Still valid, or a holdover from the cold war?
Sorry about the picture quality, laptop screenshot.
Epic won’t update Fortnite to run on the Steam Deck. Tim Sweeney says Linux is ‘a terrifically hard audience to serve’ (2022) (www.theverge.com)
Biden Weighs Letting Ukraine Strike With U.S. Weapons in Russia (www.nytimes.com)
Netanyahu to address Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson says (www.nbcnews.com)
Islamic State claims responsibility for gun attack that killed three Spanish tourists in Afghanistan (news.sky.com)
The terror group’s affiliate in Afghanistan is a major rival of the country’s Taliban government, and earlier claimed responsibility for an attack on Chinese citizens in Kabul in 2022....
Zelensky: 'Our partners fear that Russia will lose this war' (kyivindependent.com)
President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Ukraine’s partners “are afraid of Russia losing the war” and would like Kyiv “to win in such a way that Russia does not lose,” Zelensky said in a meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent....
Elections opportunity for Kurdish-Turkish de-escalation – US think tank (May 8th, 2023) (rojavainformationcenter.org)
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The upcoming Turkish elections on May 14, especially if they yield an opposition victory, will be “a rare opportunity” for the US to broker a Turkish-Kurdish peace, argues a new report by the New Lines Institute, a Washington-based think tank....
Gunmen kill 3 Western tourists, translator in central Afghanistan (www.voanews.com)
France riles allies by inviting Russia to D-Day commemoration (www.politico.eu)
Vladimir Putin is not on the guest list, but Russian representatives have been invited to take part in WWII anniversary ceremony....
China tries drastic measures to boost ailing property sector (www.dw.com)
China has announced some policies designed to shore up its ailing property sector after the latest data showed housing prices slumped nearly 10% since the start of the year....
EU suspends 4 more Russian propaganda outlets (kyivindependent.com)
U.S. governors urge Turks and Caicos to release Americans as Florida woman becomes 5th tourist arrested for ammo in luggage (www.cbsnews.com)
Russia lacks 'numbers for strategic breakthrough' in Ukraine: NATO (www.euronews.com)
Moscow says it will keep pushing its offensive in Ukraine, though NATO doubts Russia has the resources to make a significant breakthrough....
New Caledonia: Two dead as riots escalate after French vote (www.bbc.com)
Ukraine’s troops withdraw from parts of north-east as pressure mounts (www.theguardian.com)
Ukraine’s troops withdrew from several areas of the country’s north-east amid mounting pressure from a new Russian offensive, as the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, postponed all foreign trips underscoring the seriousness of the threat....
Biden plans to send $1bn arms shipment to Israel (www.bbc.com)
Man who received first pig kidney transplant dies (townflex.com)
Richard "Rick" Slayman: Man who received first pig kidney transplant dies, his death came just two weeks after his surgery. latest news on townflex
Georgia: Thousands rally in protest at 'foreign influence' bill (www.bbc.com)
Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Saturday evening to protest a controversial “foreign influence” bill backed by the government....
Israel launches Rafah offensive it says is start of mission to ‘eliminate’ Hamas (www.theguardian.com)
Israel has launched a major military offensive against Hamas forces in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, seizing control of a key border crossing and cutting off most aid into the territory a day before indirect talks on a ceasefire deal are due to restart....
‘Everything’s just … on hold’: the Netherlands’ next-level housing crisis (www.theguardian.com)
Amsterdammers find themselves at the nadir of a Europe-wide housing shortage. But some bold initiatives offer hope...
Puzzle games with procedurally-generated levels?
While many great puzzle games have a fixed number of levels, I’d like to find more with procedurally-generated levels to maximize replay value. Aside from Minesweeper games, so far I’ve found the following ones:...
Puzzle games with procedurally-generated levels?
While many great puzzle games have a fixed number of levels, I’d like to find more with procedurally-generated levels to maximize replay value. Aside from Minesweeper games, so far I’ve found the following ones:...